Sweet ‘N’ Sour Lemon Pickle.

This could hardly be called a pickle….its a pickle in the sense of the term that the lemons are preserved in brine or pickling liquid. It`s one that I gew up having. Whenver I felt nauseous, or on one of those days when you want to have easy simple lip smacking stuff, this pickle would alwas accompany my curd rice. It`s very easy and has many versions. This is my favourite version of the same. It`s one where there are no actual fixed measurements – Madurai amma would always use her hands and her measurements always came out perfect.

INGREDIENTS:

5 fresh lemons.

4 spoons of salt.

4 spoons of sugar.

2 spoons of raw jeera.

PREPARATION:

Wash all the lemons and dry them with a soft tissue.

Slice all the lemons in to cross sectional circles. Keep the slices as slim as possible.

Place them in a porcelain or corelle bowl which has a wide mouth. Save all the juice from the lemons as well as from the ends of the lemon.

Add the 4 spoons of salt and sugar and the jeera.

Mix carefully so that the lemons do not break. Keep closed and allow 2-3 days for the salt and sugar to soak in.

Taste and you should feel the salt and the sweetness from the sugar exploding in your mouth. Adjust by adding more salt or sugar if you want.

Eat with curd rice or mix a little with diluted buttermilk and drink on those days when you have a tummy ache or an upset stomach!